Shore



Oct. 11, 1932. SYMQNS 1,882,458

snows Filed Feb. 8, 1929 Patented Oct. 11, 1932 UNITED STATES" PATENT orrlcr.

ARTHUR H. SYMONS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO. S YMONS CLAMP & MFG.

COM-

PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS SHORE Application filed February 8, 1929. Serial No. 338,562.

The present invention relates generally to shores. More particularly the invention relates to that type of shore which is particularly designed for use in building construction and is adjustable vertically so that the head or upper end thereof may be positioned at the desired elevation. v

One object of the invention is to provide a shore comprising a pair of longitudinally aligned and relatively adjustable struts, the upper of which consists of a pair of laterally spaced timbers having vertical rooves in the opposed faces thereof, and the lower of which isT-shaped in cross section and is arranged so that the web portion thereof is located between the timbers and the flange projecting from both sides of the web is slidable in the grooves in the aforesaid opposed faces.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved locking mechanism for the struts, comprising a lock-element which embodies a downwardly flared cam and is adapted to slide lengthwise of and cooperate with a longitudinal series of notches in the outer margin of the web portion of the T- shaped lower strut, and a member which is associated with a loclnhousing or bracket at the lower end of the upper strut and engages and counts with the cam so that the weight of said upper strut or the combined weight of the latter and the work is applied positively to jam the lock-element into its locked position.

Another object of the invention is to provide locking mechanism of the aforementioned character, in which the jamming member that is associated with the lock-housing is in the form of a horizontally movable which is operative, upon manipulation thereof and in conjunction with the cam surface, to effect a secondary adjustment of the struts after the latter have been initially adjusted in height to approximately the point engagement with the operating face of the cam.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a lock-housing which renders the locking mechanism of a unitary character and embodies at the top thereof a socket into which fit the lower ends of the timbers of the upper strut.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vertically adjustable shore which is generally of an improved character and in which facility of adjustment of the various parts is combined with durability and compactness of construction. Additionally, the invention contemplates as one of its objects, impro'ving the shore construction disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,564,643, granted to me December 8, 1925, A. D.

Gther objects. and'the various advantages and characteristics of the present shore construction will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in'the several novel features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by the claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification or disclosure and in which like numerals of reference denote correspondin parts throughout the several views: I

Figure 1 is a perspective ofa shore embodying the invention, the top part of the upper strut which is substantially the same as the part that is shown being omitted;

Figure 2 is a vertical or longitudinal sec tional view of the locking mechanism, showing the wedge-member and lock-element in their operative position;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2,.showing the crOsssectional construction of both the upper and lowerstruts;

Figure 4 is asectional view similar to Figure 2, illustrating the manner in which I strut is provided at the top'end thereof with;

a head-bracket (not shown) which is adapted to be placed directly against the work or used in connection with an L-head or T-head type of crossbar, as well understood in the character disclosed in an application for Letters Patent filed by me February 16 1929, Serial No. 10,621. The said upper strut 6 consists of a pair of verticallyelongated timbers 8. These timbers are spaced apart laterally to form an intermediate space or compartment 9 and have formed in their inner faces a pair of oppositely facing open sidedlongitudinal grooves 10. The headbraclret serves to hold the upper ends of the timbers in spaced relation and a lock-housing 11 operates to hold the lower ends of said timbers in such relation. The lower strut 7 I is preferably formed of structural steel and is T-shaped in cross section. t is vertically elongated similarly to the upper strut and consists of a web portion 12 and a flange 13. The latter projects outwardly from both sides of the web portion. The bottom end of the lower strut 7 is provided with a shoe or foot portion 14 which is made in the form of a metal casting and embodies a pair of upstanding ears 15 which are rigidly connected to the web portion 12 by a bolt 16. The top end of the lower strut is positioned so that the web portion is located in the compartment 9 and the side margins of the flange 13 are slidable in the grooves 10 respectively. By means of this arrangement the two struts are adjustable longitudinally relatively to one another and their combined length may be readily varied to position the head-bracket at the top end of the upper strut at the desired elevation or height. A characteristic and an advantage of forming the struts in the manner set forth and having one telescope within the other is that the shore is not bulky. In addition, the flange of the lower strut tends to reenforce the bottom end of the upper strut and thereby avoids breakage. To facilitate the sliding action of the two struts and to reenforce further the upper strut, a slideway 117 is provided. This slideway'consists of a plate of metal the side margins of which are bent to form a pair of oppositely facing U-shaped or channel members 18. The latter are fitted and secured to thewalls of the grooves 10 respectively and receive the side margins oflthe flange 13 (see Figure 3). The unconnected or extreme are If desired, the head-bracket may be of the outwardly of said sides.

struts together in any desired adjusted position are associated with the housing'11. The latter is preferably in the form of a onepiece metal casting and embodies a front wall 19, a pair of vertical and substantially parallel sides 20 and a back wall 21, which to gether form an open top and open bottom chamber 22 through which the lower strut 7 extends. The back wall 21 is joined to the rear marginal parts of the sides 20 by a pair of U-shaped wall-members 23 which projec These members 23 together with the back wall 21 form a slideway for the flange 18 and are in the nature of continuations of the members 18. A pair of coplanar walls 2 1 are for ed integrally with and extend outwardly or laterally from the top marginal parts of the sides 20. These last mentioned walls form a support upon which rest the lower ends of the timbers 8. A three sided flange 25 projects upwardly from the side and rear edges of the walls 24 and forms a socket for the bottom end of the upper strut 6. The housing 11 is held in connected relation with said upper strut by a plurality of screws or similar securing devices 26 which extend through the flange 2-5 and into the bottom ends of the timbers. v A characteristic of forming the socket at the top part of the lock-housing is that there need be no other means for holding the bottom ends of the timbers 8 in laterally spaced relation. The walls 24 and the flange 25' are so arranged relatively to the lower parts of the housing that the chamber'22 and the I of the web portion 12and together form a slldeway which permits relative sliding movement of the lock-element and the lower strut 7. The connecting web 28 has a substantially flat inner face and is provided at the top part thereof with an integral inwardly extending protuberance or tooth 30. The latter is adapted to effect the desired locking of the struts in conjunction with a longitudinal series of semi-circular notches .31 which are punched or otherwise formed in the outstanding or distal marginal part of the web portion 12. The iock element 27 entends longitudinally through the chamber 22 and is confined to limited longitudinal movement relatively thereto by a pair of upper 7 shoulders 32 and a pair of lower shoulders 33. The latter are formed integrally with and extend outwardly from the bottom part of the connecting web 28 and are adapted to engage or contact with the bottom edges of the housing-sides 20 to limit the upward movement of the lock-element. The shoulders 32, like the shoulders 33, are formed integrally with the web 28. They extend outwardly from the top part of the lock-element and lit against seats 84 to limit the downward movement of said element. By means of the limited relative longitudinal movement which is permitted by the shoulders 32 and 33, and by reason of the fact that there is lateral or sidewise play, the lock-element may be readily shifted, as shown in Figure 4, to dislodge the tooth with respect to the adj acent notch 31. In this position of the lockelement, the struts 6 and 7 are free so that they may be adjusted longitudinally relatively to one another. The aforesaid seats 34: are formed in the members 35 which connect the walls 24: to the top margins of the sides 20. To permit the lock-clement 27 to be assembled in place, the rear margins of the sides 20 are provided with cutaway portions or recesses 36. The latter are of sufficient depth to accommodate the shoulders 32 and to permit the lock-element to be shifted bodily upwards through the chamber 22 when the lower strut 7 is disconnected with respect to the housing 11 and the upper strut 6. To complete the assembly operation the lockelement is shifted. forwardly towards the front wall 19. In this position of said element the shoulders 32 and 33 are operative as stops and the lower strut is capable of connection to the upper strut simply by inserting into place the upper parts of the web portion 12 and the flange 13. When the struts are in connected relation the web portion 12 prevents movement of the lock-element 27 towards the back wall 21 and the recesses 36. A loopor finger grip 37 whereby the lock-element may be pulled readily into its inoperative position is connected to a lug 38 which is formed integrally with and extends forwardly from the upper part of the connecting web 28. This loop projects above the walls 24 so that it is readily accessible and is connected to the lug 38 by a stem 37"? which extends through said lug and is riveted or beaded over as at 39. The housing sides 20 are arranged in close proximity to the legs 29 and operate through the instrumentality of the lock-element to prevent transverse movement of the housin 11 relatively to the lower strut 7. V

In addition to the lock-element 27, the locking mechanism for the struts comprises a member which is mounted in the front part of the housing 11 adjacent the central part of said lock-element, and is inclined upwardly toward the timbers 8. This memb er is provided with a flat inner face-10 which is adapted to abut directly against a downwardly flared cam 41. The latter is formed as an integral part of the connecting crating face 41 which is inclined similarly to and at the same angle as the member 40. As a result of this arrangement of the member and cam, the weight of the upper strut web 28'of the lock-element and has an op- 1 6 or, when the shore is in use, the combined weight of the upper strut and the work op crates positively to jam the lock-element into its operative position, it being manifest that the downward thrust movement of the upper strut causes the member 40 to exert in- 3.

ward force upon the lock-element due to the inclination or angle of the cooperating faces 40 and ll' As the weight of the load or work increases the inward force tending to maintainlodgement of the tooth 30 in the adjacent notch 31 also increases with the re-- sult that there 'is no danger whatsoever of slippage and the resultant dire consequences. The member 40 is mounted in the housing 11 so that it normally engages the cam operat ing face 41 at or about the central part thereof. When it is desired to release the lock-element 27 so that relative adjustment of the struts may be effected, the upper strut 6 is raised or shifted a small distance with plify means of an improved character for causing the weight of the upper strut and work to be applied to jam the lock-element intoits locked position. The faces 40 and 41 are arranged so that they extend, when operative, at an angle of approximately 20 11110 relatively to the outstanding notched edge of the web portion 12, this angle having been found in practice to best serve the various working requirements and to result in a mosteftective wedge or jammingaction. To prevent the upper strut 6 and the lockelement 27 from completely collapsing, that is, from dropping or sliding down the web portion 12 to the shoe 14 when the said up- I per strut is raised to efiect dislodgment of the tooth 30 and then released, an arcuate leaf spring 42 is provided. This spring is located in a recess or cutaway portion 43 in one of the legs 29 and the ends thereof are held so that the intermediate or central part extends inwardly and contacts with one of theside faces of the web portion 12. As a result of this arrangement a drag is-formed whereby the lock-element 27 is frictionally held in connected relation with said web portion and consequently when the upper strut 6 is released after upward shift thereof the lock-element is frictionally held in place without sliding until the member 40 engages the cam 41, in which position of said member the lock-element is rigidly retained in place, i. e. its operative position. W hen it is desired to effect a complete collapse vor telescoping. of the struts 6 and 7, the element 27 is first released and then shifted-downwardly relatively to the housing 11 until arrested by engagement of the shoulders 32 with the seats 34. The lock-element is manually held in this inoperative position and forced downwardly with the strut 6 towards the shoe 14. By positioning the spring 42 in the recess 43, it is not exposed and hence not likely to be displaced. If desired the spring may be made by utilizing a flat strip of spring-metal and confining the ends thereof so that the central part bulges inwardly into contact with the web portion 12.- WVhen the upper strut is raised or adjusted with respect to the lower strut, the lockelement is automatically thrown into its operative position after the shoulders 32 are brought into engagement with the seats 34. This is due to the fact that the notches are of curved conformation and consequently coact with the'tooth to shift outwardly the lock-element. When the upper strut is brought to rest after being raised to the desired height, and is then released the spring effects the desired drag upon the lock-element until the latter is locked in place by the inward force produced by the cam and member.

To permit the struts 6 and 7 to be adjusted to a nicety after they have been initially adjusted to approximately the desired height, the member 40 is made in the form of a wedge. This wedge is mounted for transverse move ment in a pair of oppositely facing slots or openings 44 in the f ont parts of the housingsides 20. The outer face of the wedge-member 40 is lon ltudinall inclined or an led h V D to the inner face 40 and is adapted to coact with the frontmost side edges 44 of the slots 44 to effect movement of said face 40 to and from the cam face 41 in response to-transverse shift of the wedgemember. The aforesaid front'side edges 44 of the slots 44 are inclined upwardly at the same angle as the faces 40 and 41 and are staggered or ofset with respect to each other in such a manner that the face 40 is always parallel to the face 41 during shift of the wedge-member v40. When it is desired to effect a slight increase in the ele, vation of the upper strut after the initial adjustment, the said upper strut is raised by a jack or similar mechanism and the wedge-member 40 is shifted into rigid relarelatively 'tion with respect to the lock-element and housing or the wedge-member 40 is driven to force the large end thereoftoward the lock-element and into engagement with the cam face 41 shifted bodily inwardly due to its wedge formation and consequently is caused to ride upwards on the cam face and force upwardly the lock-housing and upper strut. To lower said upper'strut, the wedge-member is driven or tapped in the reversed direction and so that the small end thereof is adjacent the lock-element. This causes outward movement of the member 40 and consequently the face 40 is caused to ride downwardly with respect to the cam face 41 A foot 45 is formed integrally with the small end of the wedge-member 40. This foot is of sufficiently large dimensions to prevent removal of the wedgeunember from the lock-housing 11 while the latter and lock-element are in connected andoperative relation with respect to the lower strut 7. I

The wedge action or formation of the member 40-is such that when the foot 45 is adjacent the lock-element 27, the operating contacts with the extreme lower end of the cam face 41*. To prevent the upper end of the loch-elementfrom being pried or forced outwardly into its inoperative position when the wedge-member 40 is in this position, a pair of cars 46 are provided. These ears are formed integrallywith and depend from the bottom margins of the sides 20 and are adapted to cooperate with the shoulders 33, as shown in Figure 2, to prevent outward movement of the lock-element. In their operative position, the ears 46 operate as stops and prevent inward movement of the shoulders 33 with the result that the lockelement is held against rocking movement on the lower end of the web 28 and consequently it cannot be pried or forced away from the notches 31. The ears 46 are operative only when the small end of the wedge-member 40 is in engagement with the cam 41. When the upper strut and housing are raised so that the small end of the wedge is disconnected with respect to the cam face, the ears are elevated with respect to the shoulders 33 and consequently the lock element is free so that it may be shifted-to dislodgethe tooth 30. from the adjacent notch. 7 The operation of the shore is as follows: When the shore is to be put in place, as for example, beneath a floor or a form in which concrete is to be poured, the struts 6 and 7 are relatively adjusted so that the head bracket or head end of the upper strut is positioned at substantially the desired ele vation. A. econdary adjustment of the struts is then effected by operating the wedgemember 40 as previously described. After the pouring operation has been completed and the concrete has set, the shore is removed, first by tapping the foot 45. This forces the large end of the wedge-member out of In this last mentioned type of secondary'adjustment, the member 40 is p engagement with the. cam 41 of the'lock-element'and results in a small downward movement of the lock-housing 11 and the upper strut. The downward movement is sufficient to permit the head bracket to be shifted out of engagement with the 'superjacent form. Thereafter the upper strut may be totally collapsed by raising it a slight distance to disengage the member 40 with respect to the cam and then manipulating the lock-element so that the tooth is dislodged from the adjacent notch as previously described.

The shore construction herein disclosed is exceedinly eilicient due to the fact that there is a positive lock of the lock elements when the shore is in its operative position. In addition, the construction is such that the shore may be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An extensible shore comprising an elongated strut adapted to be positioned vertically and having a longitudinal series of abutments, a housing mounted on and movable longitudinally relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shore-member, and mechanism for locking the housing and strut together in adjusted relation embodying an element loosely confined in the housing and slidable on the strut, said element being provided with an upwardly tapered cam and having a tooth for coopera- 1 tion with the abutments, and a member carried by the housing and operable responsively to the weight of said housing and the shore member to engage the cam and cooperate therewith to shift and hold the element in a position wherein the tooth is lodged against one of the abutments.

2, An extensible shore comprising an elongated strut adapted to be positioned vertically and having longitudinal series of abutments, a housing mounted on and movable longitudinally relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shore-member, and mechanism for locking the housing and strut together in adjusted relation, embodying an element loosely confined in the housing and slidable on the strut, said element being provided with an upwardly tapered cam and having a tooth for cooperation with the abutments, and a member carried by the housing and operable responsively to the weight of said housing and the shoremember to engage the cam and cooperate therewith to shift and'hold the element in a position wherein the tooth is lodged against one of the abutments, said member being adapted to support thereabove a shore-mem- I her, and mechanism for locking the housing and strut together in ad usted relatlon, em

bodying an element loosely confined in thehousing and slidable on the strut, said, element being provided with an upwardly tapered cam and having a tooth for coopera tion with the abutments, and a transverse member carried by the housing and having an upwardly inclined face adapted to engage flatly against the cam and cooperate therewith to shift and hold the element in a position wherein the tooth is lodged against one of the abutments. i i i t. An extensible shore comprising'an elongated strut adapted to be positioned vertioally, a housing mounted. on and movable longitudinally-relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shore-member, and mechanism for locking the housing'and strut together in adjusted relation, embodying an element loosely confined in the housing and slidablo longitud nally on the strut, and a transversely extending wedge-member movable horizontally in the housing and operative to jam the element in locked relation with respect to the strut.

5.- An extensi le shore comprising an elongated strut adapted to be positioned vertically, a housing mounted on andmovable longitudinally relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shore-member, and mechanism for locking the housing and strut together in adjusted relation, embodying an element loosely confined in the housing and slidable longitudinally on the strut, said element being provided with an upwardly tapered cam, and a horizontally extending wedge-member carried movably by the housing and operative in conjunction with the cam to jam the element into locked relationrwith the strut, and, upon shift thereof, to effect a fine adjustment of said housing and strut.

6. An extensible shore comprising an elon gated strut adapted to be positioned verti cally,.a housing mounted on and movable longitudinally relatively tothe strut and adapted to supportthereabove a shore-member, a

mechanism for locking thehousing and strut together in locked relation, embodying an element loosely confined in the housing and slidable on the strut, means operable by the weight of the housing and shoreemember for jamming and holding the element in locked relation with the strut, and means independ: ent of the first mentioned, means for positively locking the element against displace ment when it is in said locked relation. 7

7. An extensible shore comprising an elon gated strut adapted to be positioned vertically, a housing mounted on and movable 1ongitudinally relatively to the strut and adaptwardly tapered cam, a member carried by the housing and adapted for engagement with V the cam and to shift, in conjunction with the 'cam and upon downward movement of the law housing, the element into locked relation with the strut, and an ear depending from the said lower part of the housing and adapted to engage the shoulder when the housing is in its downward position with respect to the element, to'lock positively saidelement against displacement from its locked position. 8. An adjustable shore comprising an elongated strut adapted to be positioned verti- :cally, a housing mounted on and movable longitudinally relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a sh0re-member, and mechanism for locking the housing and strut together in adjusted relation embodying an element slidable on the strut and provided with an upwardly tapered cam, and a member associated with the housing and operable in response to downward movement of said housing and shore-member relatively to the strut to engage the cam and to cooperate therewith to shift and hold the element in locked position against 7 the strut, said member being adapted, when the housing and shore-member are raised, to release the element so that it may be shifted out of engagement with the strut.

9. An adjust-able shore comprising an elongated strut adapted to be positioned vertically, a housing mounted on and movable longitudinally relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shore-memher, and mechanism for locking the housing and strut together in adjusted relation, embodying an element slidable on the strut and a horizontally extending wedge-member movable lengthwise and lat rally in the housing and arranged so that one side thereof engages said element and serves to hold and jam the element in locked position against the strut.

'10. An adjustable shore comprising an 1 elongated strut adapted to be positioned vertically, a housing mounted on and movable longitudinally relatively to the strut and adapted to support thereabove a shore-mem her, and mechanism for lockingvthe housing and strut together in adjusted relation com prising an element slidable on the strut and provided with an upwardly tapered cam, and a horizontally extending wedge-member movable lengthwise and laterally in the housing and arranged so that one side thereof engages the cam and cooperates therewith to jam and hold the element in locked position against the strut.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 22d day or" January, 1929. V V

. ARTHUR H. SYMONS. 

